Illini Angels
200 S Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL, 60606, United States
Overview
Illini Angels is a powerful cohort of investors – a team that brings decades experience in investing, innovating, building strong companies, establishing connections, and encouraging the highest-impact relationships. Every opportunity we create reflects the world-class technological leadership of the University of Illinois and its thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. Healthcare, pharma, ag tech, energy – regardless of the industry, you’re going to find real innovation and valuable IP at the heart of our portfolio companies. A program of Illinois Ventures, Illini Angels draws talent, ideas, startups, and members from all three University of Illinois System campuses.
- Total investments
- 1
- Lead investments
- 1
- Investments · 12mo
- 1
- Active investors
- 1
Investment portfolio
- Apriority
Led · Seed · Oct 2025
Apriority delivers an AI-driven platform that continuously monitors all forms of consumer debt, surfaces refinance savings, and recommends personalized payoff strategies so borrowers can reduce interest costs and build wealth. The service is intentionally "borrower-first," refusing lender commissions and allowing savings to flow directly to users. Founders Tony Willcox and Bret Rietow aim to address the $18 trillion U.S. debt market, emphasizing impact for low- and moderate-income households. By automating rate tracking and providing real-time guidance, Apriority seeks to recover billions currently lost to missed refinancing windows. The company also highlights secondary benefits for employers, credit unions, and healthcare providers through reduced financial stress among their constituents. Following acceptance into the Techstars & Samvid Economic Mobility Accelerator, Apriority secured $2.3 million in seed funding to expand product capabilities and market reach.
Team
Paul Magelli
Director of Illini Angels